SCORE Consortium

Stock Enhancement Research at

Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) was chartered in 1963 to "return to the sea some measure of the benefits derived from it." HSWRI seeks to achieve this mission, in part, through their responsible approach to stock enhancement, which includes environmental assessment and monitoring, genetics, physiology, health and nutritional studies at their state-of-the-art aquaculture facilities in southern California.

Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute's Role in SCORE

HSWRI has taken a leadership role in California’s Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program (OREHP) since the program was initiated in 1983. The OREHP represents a unique partnership between California state resources agencies, public utility companies, volunteer user groups and the scientific community. The purpose of the OREHP is to investigate the potential for proactively counteracting the depletion of California's coastal marine fisheries through stock enhancement. The focus of this partnership program has been on a highly-prized recreational and commercial marine finfish, the white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis). HSWRI has also investigated the feasibility of culturing several of California’s other economically important marine finfish including California halibut, sheephead, and various rockfish species in the genus Sebastes.

From the outset, the OREHP has taken pride in its comprehensive approach to assessing the biological, ecological and economic impacts of its releases, and it is the only program of its kind on the west coast of North America. Through its responsible approach and extensive, self-imposed scientific review process, the OREHP has established itself as a model for stocking programs worldwide. HSWRI scientists assisted in securing federal funds for SCORE in 2001.